Broken
by Haitorei
Summary: As a child, Naruto wakes up in a pool of blood, forever traumatizing him. A mysterious person known only as The Snake begins to tutor Naruto to control his urges and kill without getting caught. Meanwhile, Ibiki is closing in on a serial killer plaguing Konoha. Pairings Undecided.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome one and all! This started out as a plot bunny in my head and I couldn't get it out.

This is in fact my version of a Dexter (TV series) cross-over with Naruto - with several major modifications. The original setup for Dexter really fascinated me, so I adopted this for Naruto. Pairings are undecided - I've currently written about 8 chapters in, though, and I know Anko will play a major portion in this story (not in a romantic way), so I've marked it as Naruto & Anko for the sake of categorization. I am open to reader input on pairings if it is a coherent review/suggestion and not just 'NARU-X NARU-Y NARU-Z' banter that I usually see. :)

Normally I would direct all disclaimers to my profile where I have posted this at length, but given that this is a cross-over, here is my disclaimer for the story (they will not be repeated on each and every chapter):

The idea for Naruto's catastrophe during early childhood is adopted from Dexter. Naruto's secret mentor will establish guidelines and tips for him, akin to 'The Code' in Dexter. The characters in Naruto are Kishimoto's, as is the Naruto universe. The aforementioned are not my creations. Any unique plot lines along with this particular telling of the story, however, are mine.

This has been peeving me lately, so I'll say it here: I write for myself. It makes me feel good, and I enjoy the process. Don't get me wrong - I really do hope you enjoy the story! But if not, this isn't the first story I've written that has absolutely tanked, and it won't be the last. I write for myself, and any enjoyment people derive is purely incidental. I won't be one of those authors that pressure you to review, follow, etc. If you feel I've done a good job, then leave a review. If you hated it, feel free to return to the compendium of other fanfiction stories found on this website.

Best,

Haitorei ~

* * *

Prologue

The crate opened with an enormous effort from Shikaku. "Kami…" The Nara felt short of breath, and judging from the vomiting that surrounded him, he wasn't the only one. "Come on," he directed the fresh ANBU recruits. "We need to examine the crate more thoroughly." Based on the pungent smell, he'd estimate six or seven bodies, recently dead. Swatting through the flies, he stepped in, immediately wishing he hadn't.

The splashing noise wasn't water. He sighed. The crate was four meters long, probably two meters wide. Blood two centimeters deep. Six liters of blood per body, meaning… "Kami…" Twenty-five people. This was a fucking massacre.

A single hiccup came from the crate. A small wind jutsu blew away the flies. Entering deeper, Shikaku spotted a small body – too small for an adult. _A child!_ "Are you alright?" No response. Upon approaching closer, he made out the figure more clearly. A boy, sleeping. _Fuck you, Danzou. You were always sick, but I never thought you'd go this far._

"Clear!" Shikaku announced to his team. "We have a child in here!" The boy couldn't be more than four years old. Gently lifting the blood-coated toddler, he carried him out of the cart. He was about to turn around when the boy vomited. Red.

_He's been drinking the blood to survive…_ There were no bodies, just stench and flies. They'd been searching for that container for a week, which meant that boy could have been there for almost that long, drinking that excrement-infused blood. Passing the boy to the medic nin, Shikaku stumbled to the bush before vomiting himself.

…

This was not a good week for Konoha. The Uchiha massacre left the ANBU, who traditionally took care of external threats to the village, vastly overburdened. Most criminals embraced the opportunity to go on as many killing sprees as possible in the surrounding reaches of Fire Country, while many shinobi left the village to become nuniken.

Then there was the matter of the cargo container – a container that was filled with Uchiha blood. Which meant their leads were all wrong, and as much as Shikaku would personally desire it to be otherwise, it wasn't Danzou. And even worse, it wasn't just any kid. He shuddered. It was the Jinchuuriki.

The poor boy would have an incredibly difficult time as it is without the psychological repercussions of this incident. Itachi certainly was one sick fuck.

"Are you the ANBU who found him?" The doctor finally emerged from the stabilization room. The process had been going on for almost ten straight hours now. "Well, are you?"

"Y-Yes, sorry. My mind has been… elsewhere." Shikaku quickly apologized and stood up."

"Hokage-sama has instructed me to inform you that you are released. Return to your home."

Bowing, he quickly left. Unsurprising, really. Anything having to do with Naruto was quickly commandeered by the Hokage himself. Chances are he'd never really find out what happened that day, and that suited him just fine.

…

"There is far too much Uchiha blood in him for this to be the first time. We're hypothesizing that Uchiha Itachi has been doing this for months, perhaps even since Naruto was born. We know that the body of a baby Jinchuuriki is constantly growing and expanding to accommodate the demon, and we believe Itachi knew to take advantage of this. This experiment has… Orochimaru's feel. That's probably where he took his inspiration from. Look at this bloodwork, Hokage-sama."

"Naruto's blood…"

"It's almost all Uchiha. He's been drinking blood for months now. We're weaning him off slowly, but a sudden disruption would be catastrophic for the boy. We've purified the rest of what's in that container, and over the next several weeks we'll wean him off, but we're going to have to feed him the rest of what's there."

"That's most likely what Itachi had intended, knowing his process would have to go on uninterrupted. What are the long-term consequences?"

"His blood type has changed, completely. And most interesting, the process is now self-sustaining. His body has become accustomed to the blood and won't stop producing it. It's too late for phenotypic changes, but the internal bloodwork will be entirely Uchiha, I'm afraid."

The Hokage sighed. Just a fancy way of saying he'll look the same, but he's royally fucked. Itachi had the perfect means to do so; as ANBU captain, part of his primary responsibility was ensuring the safety of Naruto. But Itachi had to have his reasons. Why would a man who sacrificed his entire clan for the sake of the village suddenly doom a child to a life of hell? _As revenge against you_… a quiet voice in Sarutobi's head whispered. He shook his head. This was the only way. He had made sure of that.

Shikaku reported that there were roughly twenty five people's blood there, perhaps more since the boy had been drinking in that container for some time. It was time they found out precisely whose blood it was. "Can we find out whose blood it is?"

"I was going to check the shinobi registry against all possible samples, but it's now entirely corrupted. Mixtures of blood blend together too well, and even worse, it's been running through our purification systems to get rid of the fecal matter. That, and our blood tests rely on chakra detection, but it appears there are too many foreign chakras causing interference."

"So there's no way of telling." The Sandaime took out his pipe. This was going to be a long night.

…

Weeks had gone by, and the treatment was complete, but the boy still hadn't woken up. All was not lost, however; they had been making good headway on exactly how Itachi had pulled this off. Siphoning off blood vials from the hospital, even grave robbing. "Naruto," as they knew, was nothing but Itachi's shadow clone. The real Naruto was tucked away underground in the Uchiha bunker with a bucket of blood.

When the ANBU finally cleared out the bunker, there was a message, written in Itachi's unmistakable handwriting, for the Sandaime. '_Give this to Naruto once he's finished the blood treatment. I trust you will not contaminate it._'

A single, black vial. Itachi was a man who chose his words wisely, and Sarutobi knew what few did – Itachi was no traitor. "Give me the vial; I will study it personally."

That night, Sarutobi approached the unconscious Naruto. "You've suffered far too much… Your father would be most upset with me, that much is certain." He'd been lying here, not moving, not talking… This wasn't even living. A nurse would change his urine bag once a day, and his head doctor would observe his condition thrice a day. But besides these formal visits, the boy had absolutely no human contact. He felt guilty for partly wishing that the black liquid was poison, just so the pain would all end.

But he knew Itachi too well for that. The man had his reasons, that much was certain. Now if he could just understand what those reasons were… Taking a deep breath, and praying to every spirit he knew, the Third prayed that his trust was not misplaced and fed Naruto every small drop of the vial.

Naruto coughed himself awake.

And for the first time since this whole ordeal began, the Sandaime smiled. Naruto was looking at him with puzzlement. No, not looking at him… Looking past him. And that's when the hokage realized it. The haze in Naruto's eyes. His large, open eyes, even when looking directly into the light. Naruto was blind. And who knew how long he'd been that way.

"Naruto? Do you recognize me?"

The child wordlessly got up and began walking towards the window. He was on his fourth step before he passed out.

…

"I have good news and better news."

Those were rare words. His head doctor had a reputation for trying to be a jokester, and delivering bad news disguised as good news… well, he wouldn't be surprised if anything happened. "Go on," the Hokage ushered cautiously preparing for the worst.

"The good news is that everything else is perfectly fine. He seems to be doing just fine. Of course, there is the issue of the blood, but in time that'll simply be a new normality."

So far so good.

"The better news is that his eye sight will most likely return." This drew a wide smile from the village head. "He's now stable enough that the chakra mapping won't disrupt his body, so we've been examining him further. It seems that the chakra coil system is rapidly adjusting to the new blood type, and in the interim it's causing sensory deprivation. Certainly temporary, but I can't say how long it could go on. Perhaps a couple days, perhaps a couple months. Certainly not longer than half a year."

No jokes, no attempts to heighten the tension. Just the results, plain and simple. This was new for Sugimura, but the Sandaime was certainly liking it. It certainly helped that the news was all good. "I'm assuming that's why the boy fainted, then?"

The doctor nodded. "Indeed. He needs to relax in bed for a couple more weeks while his body becomes accustomed to the changes, but he should be perfectly fine. Quite miraculous that the notorious killer did no lasting damage, really. Naruto should consider himself quite lucky."

_Quite… miraculous indeed._ Did Itachi plan this whole ordeal? The man was nothing if not meticulous. Given the crate the ANBU found Naruto in, he wouldn't go so far as to say the boy was _lucky_.

"And for the worst news."

"Damn it, Sugimura." The Hokage should have known better than to expect nothing but sunshine from the doctor by now. "What now."

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? Yes, the worst news. Here is a brain scan of that missing nin you had me examine – remember? That one who killed those civilians."

The Hokage nodded. The man was a psychopath, although given his past no one could blame him. He saw his parents die in front of him, butchered like pigs. Since then, he went on doing the same to anyone whom resembled their killer. But the tragic story didn't mean he didn't have to be responsible for his actions.

"Here is Naruto's brain scan." The doctor overlaid one on top of the other.

"They're identical," he breathed.

"Exactly. The right hemisphere, responsible for processing emotional information, has shrunk and molded itself in the typical pattern we see for cases like 'the butcher.' Chances are he'll suffer the same fate. Emotional processing will be difficult. Conscience will be negligible, if existent at all."

"Who did the scan?"

"I did."

"These are the only copies?"

The doctor nodded.

"Burn them. Discard everything in the file and leave no trace. No one at the hospital can know. Everything must go."

The man bowed and left the room.

Sugimura was more correct than he knew. This truly was the worst news of all.

…

"Naruto-kun," a gray-haired doctor with glasses entered the door smiling. "How are you feeling?"

Naruto sat up. "Fine."

"Hmm, well I suppose it never hurt to check." The doctor perused over his charts for several moments.

Naruto didn't like this man from the start. He smiled too much. And there was some creepy air surrounding him. He wasn't… trusthworthy. He decided on a whim that should the doctor give him any medicine, he wasn't taking it.

"Well, everything seems to be fine here. I'll send the nurse over to give you your belongings." And with that, he left as soon as he came. Five minutes later, true to the doctor's word, the nurse entered.

"Hello, dear. You must be Naruto. Oh, before I forget, you have a letter from your uncle – he's very concerned. Here are your clothes, freshly washed and cleaned. Do you need anything else from me?"

Naruto blinked. He didn't have an uncle. What was going on? "Where do I go now?"

"Ah, that would be up to Hokage-sama. He'll come to get you tomorrow morning, is that okay?"

Naruto nodded. Once the woman left, he quickly opened the letter, skeptical of the possibilities within it.

'Naruto, Of course you have no Uncle. You may call me The Snake. I am a concerned guardian who takes interest in children of promise, and you my boy have special promise. Have you ever wondered why it is the villagers don't let you play with their children? Why do the parents look at you in such a harsh way? Why you were made to drink blood for months on end?' He did. He wondered that every day. Whoever this snake was, it was certainly knowledgeable.

The letter continued. 'It's because you have the Kyuubi sealed within you…' Naruto must have stayed up all night reading the illuminating letter. It vividly explained the details of how the nine tailed fox, a demon made purely of chakra, could never be killed. Rather, it could only be sealed, and it was currently sealed within him. That the blood he drank was in fact the blood of a clan called the Uchihas, all of whom were dead but two. Apparently a boy named Sasuke was the only Uchiha in Konoha, and the one who killed the entire clan was his elder brother, Itachi.

Naruto couldn't explain the feeling he was having towards Itachi. Was this… awe? Yes, it was admiration. The sheer prowess Itachi possessed must have been incredible. What allowed him to do these incredible feats was a dojutsu called the sharingan, apparently. He stayed up, intently reading until the late hours of the morning. The letter was detailed and explanatory, but not in the condescending ways others seemed to explain things to him. It was written in a simple, but illuminating style that helped him understand.

And the very end of it caught his eye. 'I've done a great deal to help you understand where you come from; I hope you can trust me. If you do, you won't regret it. Prick your finger and slide it across the paper. I will contact if should you choose to believe in me.

Yours truly,

The Snake.'

Remarkable. There was simply no other word for it. To think that the Hokage, whom he had trusted for years now, had been lying all this time. It made him acutely aware of exactly how alone he truly was. Pricking his thumb, he slapped his blood onto the parchment, and he was suddenly transported into a different room.

A dark shadow stood in the background. Naruto was in what seemed like an underground cavern.

"This is my lab. Welcome to your new home, Naruto-kun."

* * *

Who is The Snake? What's going on with Naruto's blood? Will Sugimura ever give a straight answer? Who am I asking these questions to? Find out all this and more next time on Dexter - I mean _Broken_. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey all! Welcome to the second installment - glad you stuck around. Got to say I'm surprised at the overall positive reaction towards such a dark story! :) I'm glad you all enjoyed it.

In terms of pairings, I haven't given it much thought still. There are just too many more important considerations for the story's plot at this stage, so it didn't seem worthwhile to mull over it too much. I have read each and every review/PM regarding the matter, and I'll take the advice into consideration. Hopefully, somewhere along this process some inspiration will strike.

Hope you all enjoy.

Best,

Haitorei~

* * *

Chapter One

"Wake up," Naruto muttered, mentally noting that his supply of smelling salts was running low. "I need you awake for this."

Eyes widened with realization. "I'm going to fucking kill you, I fucking swear I'm going to kill you."

"Hn." Naruto unrolled his tools, carefully mulling over which blade he'd use this time. _That one_. His darkness had decided. Very well, that one. The tanto.

"What is this, some sort of sick, fucking game to you?"

Naruto quietly examined the blade to make sure it was clean. Yes, this one would certainly do.

"Answer me!"

Months of preparation had gone into this particular kill. This one was special. "Inuzuka Tanaka, Jounin of Konohagakura no Soto, do you have any last wishes?" He steadied the tanto in his right hand.

"Wait, please. My dog, my ninken. Please, don't let him die. He needs to return to the clan."

Naruto took a deep, slow breath, relishing ever bit of air that entered his lungs. Yes, his darkness would be satisfied for some time after this particular kill. Grabbing the man's hair back with his left hand, he leaned in close to his ear. "I know, Tanaka. It went missing one month ago… because I am one who killed it. Gutted like a pig on the side of the road." And before he could scream, Naruto stuffed his mouth with rags. His muffled screams were furious and frantic, but he wouldn't let them continue for too long.

With a swift, deep cut into the belly, Naruto quickly jerked it upwards through the rib cage and diagonally into the heart. He closed his eyes and embraced this sacred, private moment.

"_Tell me what's like. You call it the darkness. How does it begin?"_

"_It starts with a small drop of blood that shouldn't be there, in the back of my mind. It's like a fly that can't be swatted away. And when it's not satisfied, it grows and grows until it's a downpour, flowing from my eyes until I see the whole world in red. And when it's still not satisfied, it floods my system and commands me; only now it's no longer the deep crimson. It's black as night. The blackness takes over, and the only way I can get temporary reprieve is to kill. Preferably a human. The tougher the kill… the more satisfying."_

"_We'll work on controlling it. That's why your training starts today. You won't be going to the academy, you understand? It's for your own safety."_

"_The safety of the village, you mean." Naruto said bluntly. He didn't much care for the politeness of everyday conversation. Each seemed to be a political game, a dance of who can be more direct without seeming insulting. Seemed like a waste of energy._

"_Yes," the Sandaime admitted._

"_Your duty is to protect the village, is it not?" The eight-year old Naruto asked the old man. "I am a threat. Why not have me killed? Or exiled?"_

"_Because you mean too much to me."_

_Sentimental attachments to other humans. Naruto could sympathize. If being around any human made him feel the way he felt when he was killing… then he'd definitely want to hold on to that._

He opened his eyes, and the world was no longer black. Taking deep breaths, a sense of normalcy returned. His darkness had subsided for what would be another month or two, and in the meantime, he could make headway on his training. Now, for cleanup, the worst part of the job. It was like taking care of your drunk self while you're sober, only knowing that getting drunk felt better than anything, and if you wanted to keep killing – er, getting drunk – you'd have to clean up.

As for Sarutobi, well, his time would come. The man was unbelievably strong, and even The Snake knew that much. Opening the intestines of the man, he took out two parchments, one blue and the other green. That was how, for the past nine years, the snake had been communicating to him. Red was for training. Blue was for skills. And green… Green was special. The next target. When Naruto accomplished eliminating the next target, he'd receive two more scrolls. Naruto didn't know who The Snake was, nor did he care. The man provided him more training and expertise than Sarutobi ever did, and it was The Snake that really taught him how to survive among humans.

'_Tip #37: Fake it. Humans associate lack of emotion with hostility; as a killer, you want to camouflage into the background, because you never know when another killer is on the prowl. Fade into anonymity. Blending in is vital for survival. The snake does not announce its presence to the entire world. It kills, gets the job done, and disappears. Do not gloat or linger.'_

He'd commit each and every single one of them to memory, no questions asked. He'd amassed almost three hundred such tips by now, and it was surprising how well The Snake knew him – better than anyone else in Konoha, and at times, better than he knew himself. Certainly, Naruto has had his fair share of doubts at first. But time had proven The Snake to be right _every_ single time, and by now, The Snake's words were gospel. There had been a time when Naruto even began a manhunt to find out The Snake's identity, but weeks turned into months and there was not a single lead.

He cleaned up the laboratory and headed to the study room. This location, an entire secret lab sealed away from the rest of the village, was actually The Snake's idea. Naruto hypothesized that most likely The Snake himself used it at one point, or perhaps one of his enemies. Either way, The Snake knew the layout by heart.

He opened up the new skill scroll. He was by no means a dessert first kind of guy, but when it came to the skills The Snake gave, it was worth it. With a rush of eagerness, he unwrapped it across the large table and sat down.

'_Naruto-kun. Congratulations on your thirty-fifth mission. Fifty kills. This truly marks a special day. Within Konohagakure no Soto, the shinobi community would consider you a Jounin. Consider today's skills scroll a graduation present from me._

_So far, I have taught you to overcome four animals. The Dog, your latest kill, was an interesting specimen. Its loyalty is its weakness, ferocity its strength. The deer, whose intelligence is its primary asset, its pacifism the greatest weakness. The pig, whose endurance leads it to victory, but its pride the many handy defeats. Lastly, the monkey, an excellent jack of all trades who ultimately refuses to be truly great at any one thing. Today, we will discuss what happens when you face another snake. These battles are among the most vicious._

_The shape of the snake, which is one of its greatest assets, is precisely what makes snakes so easy to swallow. And when you face another snake, you must swallow them whole. I've given you seven jutsu to master, three tips to internalize, and an especially interesting kill – another snake, no doubt._

Eagerly, he looked through the jutsu list. Kage bunshin no jutsu. A solid clone? This was in Konoha's forbidden scroll. His eyes gleamed just thinking about the possibilities. He was definitely starting with this one.

…

"Naruto, in several months the Academy will be graduating its next batch of students. I'd like you to join them for the remainder of their time."

He blinked. "Why?"

"You'll be placed on a shinobi team with other genin."

Naruto shook his head. He knew the shinobi system. "I don't want to be a ninja." It was technically true. He wanted to do what shinobi did, just not for the Leaf. And certainly not in Konoha's pathetic system. He wanted to keep working for The Snake. He was learning far more with his mystery teacher than he'd ever learn in the village.

"And how will you sustain yourself? Once you turn thirteen I can no longer give you funds; you must earn them. The civilians will not accept you. The shinobi community is one of the few places you can turn to."

There was _that_ issue, once again. The Sandaime delicately stepped around the Kyuubi issue, something he'd known for years thanks to his real teacher. But the man did have a point. "I suppose working alone is not an option?"

"Most certainly not."

Naruto groaned. Now he'd have to put on a new mask. Blend in once more – this time not for the hokage, one person, but for his entire academy class. What a pain.

…

Naruto hadn't slept in days. Five to be exact. The Snake's jutsus were more difficult than he'd expected, but he'd done it. In fact, his focus had been so myopic on the new ninjutsu that he didn't even consider looking at the tips or his next target. Certainly, he hadn't meant to. But the lectures at the Academy were so mind numbingly boring, that without even knowing, he'd fallen asleep.

"Ouch!" The boy next to him yelped as an eraser hit him squarely in the head.

"Shikamaru! You're being a bad influence on the new stu – I mean Naruto!"

Naruto looked at the boy. Apparently they were both asleep. Shikamaru grinned at him. Naruto returned a foxy grin. "Hehehe." _I guess I'm going to be the slacker for the next two months._

"Sorry, Sensei." The boy mumbled.

"Sorry, Sensei," Naruto followed. It wasn't even five minutes before Naruto fell back into a deep asleep for the rest of the day. Before he knew it, five hours had passed and the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Naruto grumbled and got up. He'd have to read over the rest of the scrolls and begin preparations for his new target, whoever the person was.

"Hey, Naruto!"

It was that Shikamaru kid. "Shikamaru," Naruto smiled.

"Hey, Chouji and I are going to hang out for a bit, want to join?"

Hang out? What did that phrase even mean? It would be good for his cover, he guessed, but not tonight. Any other night. "I'm actually kind of busy tonight – I have to go home and do something, but could we, er, hang out… tomorrow?"

"Sure sounds good," Shikamaru waved him away. "Bye!"

"So, Naruto-kun."

Naruto internally groaned, recognizing the Hokage's voice. _What now_… "Hokage-sama."

"How was the first day of school?" They began walking towards the Hokage tower.

Naruto frowned. Now he'd have to double back to get to the lab. "Boring. Iruka Sensei is well intentioned, but this is nothing I didn't already know."

"Oh, what did he speak about?"

"Ah…"

"He told me you fell asleep during class."

"Gomen, Hokage-sama. Won't happen again."

"Don't stay up so late tonight, like you did the past five nights, and perhaps this won't happen. You didn't think I knew?"

Naruto froze. No way.

The Hokage chuckled. "Don't worry, I know you teenagers need your privacy."

And the tension melted instantly. The man's love for him was blinding. He refused to see the truth. Very well; a snake preys upon those very things. Naruto sheepishly smiled. "Yes, the truth is I've been interested in a girl, and I'm working on a project to… impress her. She's in this year's academy class, which is why I didn't want to go."

"Hoho! Is that so. Well, that's all! You simply had to tell me. Don't mistake me, you're still certainly attending class." The man smiled. "Well, I've held you for long enough. Good afternoon, ne?"

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama." Naruto bowed and headed in the direction of his home.

Meanwhile at the Academy, all the future genin were eagerly gathered in one corner of the playground outside.

"He didn't want to hang, but he seems nice enough." Shikamaru commented.

Chouji, between chips, piped in. "If Shikamaru says he's okay, then we have nothing to worry about, guys."

"Did you see who he walked home with? The Hokage himself came. Don't you think that's bizarre?" Ino asked.

Shino pitched in. "Given my observations, he's an extremely talented shinobi. Perhaps the Hokage has taken personal interest."

At these words Sasuke's focus came zooming back into the conversation. "The Hokage?" Sasuke asked no one in particular. That child was really so talented? He needed to find out. He'd have to keep a much closer eye on the boy.

…

"I want you to be a Jounin Sensei."

Anko's jaw hit the floor. "What!?"

The Sandaime nodded. "Time has passed from the incident. You've proven your loyalty to the village over and over. The shinobi community trusts you."

She snorted. "The community? You mean the interrogation squad and the ANBU. Not parents. There is no way any parent would trust me with their child."

"That won't be an issue."

"Why? Does he not have _parents_ or something, because unless he was – "

"_Anko_."

"Oh. S-Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just… I wasn't thinking. Wait. All three of them are orphans?"

The Sandaime shook his head. "Just one. He's… special. I want you to look after him."

"Who is he?" The Sandaime handed over the file. Opening it, Anko saw a curious name. _Uzumaki Naruto_.

"The boy has had a rough childhood. He needs a sensei that will understand that, but not go easy on him because of it. He needs you."

So that was it. The demon boy. "Why me?"

"You know what's like to be labeled because of something that was never your choice. To know how it feels not be able to shed that label. He needs someone to look up to. To understand and give him hope for the future."

She sighed. That was certainly true. He was guilt tripping her; how could she say no now? "Fine. But I won't be happy about it." She mumbled.

The Sandaime seemed pleased nonetheless.

…

Naruto smiled at the now clean lab. The last moments of someone's life were very revealing. He'd seen all sorts of reactions over the years. Some turned to rage, swearing they'd kill Naruto. Others turned to desperation, which led to begging, false promises, and anything to get Naruto to reconsider. Few embraced the fact that their time had come, and they simply smiled and let Naruto proceed.

He felt a strange sense of satisfaction reminiscing over the many kills. The autopsies were complete, the jutsus had been extracted from the dead bodies, and all traces were eliminated. Of course, there was a tub of human ash locked away in a deep compartment, but he'd get rid of that another day. Perhaps it was just the anticipation. Finally, his next assignment was another snake. Taking a deep breath, he opened the mission scroll.

_Mitarashi Anko : Jounin_

…

_The Snake's Tips_

Entry 14

Guard your techniques with your life. There are those that can, with a single glance, replicate your technique to perfection and steal your greatest secrets, leaving you vulnerable. Hand signs can be copied; jutsu sayings can be memorized. If you wish to live, you must be escape notice. Your hand signs must be undetected, if at all used. Your taijutsu style must be predicated on unpredictability and chaos. Escape the pattern and rigor that is taught to you in this weak village. Embrace the hebi style – that which even the sharingan cannot copy.

Hand signs are merely crutches used to mold chakra. A true master of chakra has no need for them; true mastery of chakra entails an incredible visualization of the end result and channeling through will power. Likewise, the vocals are simply used to help one concentrate. Eliminating these is the first step towards truly becoming a snake.

Entry 28

Hunter ninjas are not merely for decoration; they are used to prevent the enemy from extracting vital information from a dead boy. Chakra signatures leave footprints, and your body records every jutsu you have ever performed. While a living being has too active of a chakra system to really understand, a dead person's body lends itself to examining these footprints in far greater detail. With this, you can reverse engineer and grasp all of the jutsus a person has ever cast.

This is the next step in making yourself truly powerful. This is the reason I have asked you to keep the bodies in the lab. Perform autopsies and extract the information necessary and begin cataloging. It is essential to keep organized and pristine records.

* * *

So, what did you guys think?


	3. Chapter 3

Gasp! Another chapter!

I have to learn to write faster - I've only written so many chapters ahead of where you guys are, and you're rapidly catching up! But I've been quite busy with my other stories (do check them out if you have an excess of free time).

Enjoy!

Haitorei~

* * *

Chapter 2

Naruto was currently tracking five shadow clones, all located throughout Konoha. Number one? He didn't even bother checking in. Academy duty. The clone was probably sleeping or 'hanging out' with the Nara child. He needed to cement in his identity as a forgettable, dead-last.

Two through four were training. Ever since he discovered the knowledge potentials of the kage bunshin, he wished he'd discovered it earlier. Weeks could be squeezed into mere days, and even the most difficult jutsu could be mastered in several weeks. Konoha's clans protected their private jutsus most securely, but the Sandaime (in his infinite wisdom,) had been running a movement for the past couple years to release more of the less vital jutsus into the public domain. Ultimately, Konoha's shinobi archives was vast. And Naruto fully intended to have his shadow clones swallow every last drop of knowledge.

He smiled, remembering The Snake's words. _'__You are a snake, much like myself. We crave knowledge because we know it is that which separates us from our dead enemies.'_ As usual, The Snake was never wrong.

The fifth clone was currently keeping Sasuke occupied. The boy apparently started tailing him wherever he went. Sasuke was a mongoose, a natural enemy of the snake. He wasn't sure how to deal with mongoose, as The Snake hadn't taught him yet. He'd taught Naruto to identify each of the twelve animals, and even their hybrid combinations between them. So he'd have to improvise. For now, it was best to tire out Sasuke and thoroughly convince him that Naruto was a normal, easy-going child. What bothered him was why, in less than a day, Sasuke had taken to following him. Were the Uchiha's instincts so spot on? His brows furrowed. He could certainly pose a problem in the future.

Naruto himself was in the lab, as usual. Naruto pulled out the library shinobi database and looked into Anko's file. The lack of security within Konoha was mind blowing – they made all the shinobi files public record, so that any civilian, or visitor to the library, could access them! He'd taken this to his advantage many a time, but this one bore absolutely no fruit.

When he finally opened the file, well over half of it was redacted information. He'd never seen someone's file so blacked out. He smiled. _A challenge, then._ He'd have to do research in person this time. He wondered if he could possibly just use a shadow clone, but his research told him otherwise. A very experienced shinobi could detect the chakra signature. _But the chakra signature of someone they'd never met?_ Perhaps not.

Still, it was best not to risk it. Someone whose file was so… guarded, was no ordinary kunoichi. The Snake wasn't joking when he said this would be a challenge.

…

The boy seemed to have a perfectly normal schedule. He woke up, went to school, and went home. Sasuke had been following Naruto for days now and not a single thing suggested that the he had any talent whatsoever. The kid didn't even train! How could the _Hokage_ take an interest in _him_.

Sasuke's patience was wearing thin. He needed answers faster than this method. Today was the day. Waiting until after school, he approached Naruto.

"So, going to follow me home like usual today?" Naruto asked loudly, so as to attract attention.

Sasuke blinked. Had he been that obvious? Perhaps there was talent in the boy after all. "Perhaps," he mused.

"Mind telling me why you're being so creepy and following me?"

"Fight me." The raven haired boy demanded.

Naruto knew this was going. He just needed to pull the right strings, and soon everything would be right. His Uchiha problem would be no more, and his cover would gain all the credibility it needed. _Two birds, one stone._ "No! What is this, sheesh. Wasting my time…" He muttered the last part just barely audibly, so only he and Sasuke could hear him.

"What?" Sasuke leaned in for a forceful punch against Naruto. _Let's see those shinobi skills in action._

"OW!" If there wasn't a crowd surrounding them before, there certainly was now. "Have you gone mad? If you wanted my lunch, all you had to do was ask!"

Sasuke was suddenly made aware of his entire academy class staring at him. And worst of all, he was wrong. Naruto was nothing special. Anyone would _any_ combat instincts would have dodged such an obvious punch out of sheer habit. But Naruto was hit, squarely on the nose.

"Well?" Naruto demanded.

"I just wanted to know why the Hokage was interested in you."

"He's not. I'm an _orphan_. He sees that all orphans as well situated once they leave the orphanage. It's part of the 'Clean the Streets' program he implemented." Naruto said sadly with a tone of innocence. Discredit Sasuke? Check. Offer a tangible explanation to satisfy the teme and get him off Naruto's back? Check. Establish his cover as dead last? Check.

"N-Naruto-kun! Your nose!" A meek Hyuuga piped up.

"Gah. It's broken. Is it swelling already?" He mumbled out loud, to which Hinata nodded.

"I-I'll get you some towels. We should get you to the doctor."

"Aah! No, no doctors. I don't like doctors – needles and all. Too many bad experiences, hehe," he laughed nervously. "I'll go home and bandage it, don't worry. Thanks all." Turning to Sasuke, he added, "Do I have your permission to go home, master?"

Sasuke was well over his patience limit, and he promptly turned around, muttered "Fuck off," and went home for the day.

"Man, that Sasuke sure was crazy, huh. I wonder what ticked him off so badly." Shikamaru caught up with Naruto.

"Beats me. Anyways, are we hanging out tomorrow?"

"Yup, see you after school."

…

"Good morning, class. You all remember Mizuki-sensei; he will be taking over for today's lessons. Show. Him. Respsect." And Iruka left the classroom as soon as he came.

"Morning everyone. Ah, it seems we're one more than before?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," he politely introduced himself.

"Ah, pleased to meet you." He then turned to face the rest of the class. "Well then, today we will discuss tactics."

Naruto couldn't fall asleep today. His stomach was queasy. Mizuki was a killer; Naruto's lizard-brain could sense it, and this particular killer was scheming something. But he was a weasel – harmless unless one gained his trust by some miracle. And this particular weasel would not gain his trust, that much was certain. Naruto smirked. He loved to make weasels squirm, and killing Mizuki would be so pleasurable. _Deep breaths… You just killed a week ago…_

"There will be scenarios when you're faced with hostage situations, complex intelligence retrieval missions, and battles when you're outnumbered. Today's class is will be a discussion of these subjects."

Even Shikamaru was awake this time. _Probably right up his alley, that tactical genius._

"Let's start with a scenario that happened during the last great shinobi war. For this particular example, we're going to need two volunteers – oh, how about Naruto and Shikamaru. Come up front, don't be shy. Come on. Great, so here is the scenario. Naruto, you have an essential scroll from Shikamaru's village that contains vital information of the layouts and his village's vulnerabilities. The operation to retrieve this scroll was difficult, however, and Shikamaru has captured half of the intelligence retrieval squad. You have a single radio communication system to enable contact. Go."

Shikamaru looked at the eraser that was handed to him. "Hey Naruto, what kind of deal do you propose?"

"Don't really feel like negotiating."

"Great, see you later."

"Bye."

Mizuki sighed. "Eh, that wasn't exactly how we meant it to go, eh?"

"I think that's exactly how we meant it to go."

Mizuki blinked. "No, you've lost soldiers, and you, Shikamaru, are never getting your scroll back."

Shikamaru shook his head. "I know exactly what is in that scroll; I know what the enemy knows, which is more valuable than anything. I can figure out how to fix those vulnerabilities and devise a strategy for that. I, however, have many members of Naruto's intelligence retrieval squad, which is far more valuable than any scroll I'd give them. A week of interrogation later I'd have everything I needed on Naruto's village. There isn't a scenario where I don't come out ahead in this exchange, provided I hold on to the hostages which have far more worthy intel."

The silence of the classroom was interrupted only by Naruto's "Shit…"

"Well, then. Naruto, why did you choose not to negotiate?"

"I don't negotiate with terrorists?"

Shikamaru chuckled.

The truth, of course, was that in reality he wouldn't have valued the lives of those hostages. And that would have led to his defeat because they were members of the intel retrieval squad. Shikamaru had beaten him, and it took him thirty seconds. Naruto didn't even know what hit him. Perhaps this would be more trouble than it was worth.

…

Naruto was relatively pleased today. Two weeks had gone by, and his cover was fully settled in. Shikamaru and Chouji were his friends, Sasuke was his 'enemy,' and the rest were more or less indifferent to Naruto. Shikamaru and Naruto would regularly fall asleep during class, play shougi and 'hang out' after class while Chouji ate next to them.

The extra chakra he packed into the shadow clone a week ago definitely paid off. Sasuke had permanently given up on antagonizing Naruto and retreated to his usual self. Even better, it turned out he had been entirely wrong about Sasuke. The boy had no real talent or instincts whatsoever; he was merely chasing Naruto out of jealousy. He was no mongoose. Just a small pig. Still, one day he'd repay Sasuke for that punch in the nose. And Naruto always paid his debts, with interest.

_Finally_. Naruto placed the last book down. He found every scrap of information possible regarding Anko. Phase two could finally begin. He looked at the list of names. _Hatake Kakashi_. _Yuhi Kurenai_. _Morino Ibiki_. Anko's top three friends. He'd have to get as much information from them as possible. First the ANBU interrogation squad's headquarters. Then the Jounin center. And lastly, this dango shop. She's gone here every dinner for the past several years.

On second thought, better to start with the dango shop. Civilians were always easier to interrogate. He'd have to go during lunch, though, to make sure he didn't see Anko. A quick henge and a whirl of leaves later, Naruto was headed to Anko's favorite dango stand.

"My, I haven't seen you here before."

Naruto smiled. "Actually, this is my first time. This came highly recommended to me by an acquaintance – maybe you know her? Anko-san?"

"Oh, you're Anko's friend? Your meal is on the house, don't worry. We couldn't possibly charge any of Anko's friends."

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Well, I only met her once. She seemed rather scary to be honest."

The old woman nodded knowingly. "You know, she scares nearly everyone she meets, but she's a softy at heart. She's been hurt too many times to let anyone in, so she'd rather just scare them away. But keep pushing, dearie. You'll find something wonderful on the inside. Now, what would you like?"

"Hmm… I want the goma, but which one does Anko-san usually have?"

"Which one _doesn't_ she have," the old man piped in, chuckling. "Here, try this one."

_Kinako_, Naruto correctly identified. So, this was Anko's favorite. He ate quickly. "It's delicious, really. No wonder Anko-san recommended you so much." Bowing, he left a hefty tip against the wishes of the elderly couple and headed to the jounin lounge. Today he'd gather the information, and tomorrow he'd begin understanding her likely chaotic schedule.

…

"How is Naruto doing?"

"He's taken to being friends with Nara Shikamaru, I'm afraid."

The hokage took a deep puff of his pipe. "I'm glad he's taken to having friends."

Iruka sighed. "Yes, I shouldn't have phrased it that way. It's just he and Shikamaru _always_ sleep off during class, and it seems Shikamaru has convinced him that homework is a waste of time as well."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Good."

"Good?"

"He's having a normal childhood. Playing hookey with your friends, skimping out on homework, getting scolded by teachers. This is part of growing up. Think he can pass the graduation exams?"

Iruka nodded. "Certainly."

"Excellent. I've assigned him a special Jounin instructor. He'll be exempt from the usual three-man team system."

"Who?"

"Anko."

"Ah… If you wish, Hokage-sama."

"I do. You may go."

…

Anko awoke on a table she knew all too well. Orochimaru's lab. Suddenly, the headache disappeared, and her gut told her why she was here. _Naruto! _He was planning on killing here, now.

"I've waited for this for a _long_ time, _Sensei_." He whispered in a strange voice. It was almost unrecognizable. Deeper. Darker. He looked over his instruments. Five senbon. Yes, his darkness had decided. Those five senbon. Five points along the carotid artery. A beautiful pool of crimson blood would form as her heart spurt out the blood in smooth, rhythmic gulps. He shuddered just imagining it. And soon he wouldn't have to imagine. Not for much longer.

This _couldn't_ be Naruto. The incompetent, pathetic Naruto she knew was an innocent fool. Was this the Kyuubi's influence? She had to think fast. She groaned internally; she hated to use Orochimaru's jutsus, but dammit if they weren't effective. A pinch of blood later and she was riding on top of two enormous snakes.

_Summoning jutsu…_ Naruto hadn't calculated for that. The lab was a mess, and she had already escaped. He'd _never_ had someone escape before. How did her system process the poison so quickly? She shouldn't even be able to manipulate chakra in her state. And he couldn't allow her to return to Konoha.

_Fuck, how could I have been so stupid! All of the signs. What kind of interrogator am I? I have to warn Hokage-sama. It was never Orochimaru… this whole time._ All of a sudden, her snakes disappeared, and Naruto stood in front of her.

"I'm afraid I can't let you tell the Sandaime. It would greatly impede my efforts."

_Summoning cancel? Well, well… _"Fuck retreating. We settle this here and now. It's been a while since I've had some fun anyways." Cracking her neck back and forth, she took out her kunai and readied herself.

Naruto gave no such warning. Within a blink of an eye, he was behind her, and that's when the realization hit her. Out of sheer instinct, she grabbed the leg that was attacking and retaliated with her own punch, only to have that Naruto explode, and four others come at her from all sides.

She smirked. Four POP!'s later, her snakes were sniffing out the real Naruto. "Come on, just shadow clones? I thought we were going to play some more!" She called coyly. He was testing her. But something about the way in which he moved put her on edge. She'd seen this before.

Suddenly, snakes burst out from Naruto's hand, seizing her limbs and restraining her. The entire scene was all too familiar. When she prepared herself for the sword, it wasn't Naruto. Orochimaru's tongue was licking her cheek.

"SHIT." She bolted out of bed. It was a dream. Just a horrible, atrocious dream. Getting out of bed, she took off her clothes which were already drenched in sweat. Going to the mirror, she checked what she knew to be true already. _The curse seal…_ Why was it active? Why now? Damn, now she'd have to see Kakashi for him to re-seal this piece of crap. The Curse Seal used to serve as a link between her and her former sensei; for it to reactivate like this... Could it be that he was here? Or perhaps another victim close by. Either way, she couldn't be sure.

And then the guilt hit her. Sure, the curse seal gave her nightmares, but it was her mind that developed those terrible dreams. And her mind thought Naruto was a coldblooded killer. She sighed. This was the same kind of treatment other people gave her; granted, it was all true. She killed without hesitation. But that didn't mean Naruto was the same. And even if he was, the fact that she judged him without even bothering to get to know him… She was no different than the villagers.

This was ridiculous. There were numerous nights when she'd awoken with the Curse Seal flaring up, and tonight was no different. _But it hasn't happened in years…_ A little voice in the back of her head nagged. Something was up; this wasn't the ordinary paranoia that all ANBU suffered from. Still, first things first. She got out of bead and headed to the red light district, where she knew she would find a certain masked ninja.

…

"You've been a bad boy," she purred softly, straddling the man.

"Yes, yes I have," Kakashi moaned.

"What do you want me to do?"

"You know what I want…" He was losing it.

"Beg for it."

"I want you to – "

"He wants a blowjob, they all do. Even if they say they don't." A third, less satisfied voice entered uninvited.

"What the fuck are you doing here? The ONE day I have off?" He turned to face who he knew to be Anko, but upon glancing at her, the tone changed remarkably. "Oh holy kami shit…"

"Yeah… holy kami shit." Her face was already covered in the Curse Seal, and it was rapidly spreading to the rest of her body. He'd need to seal it quickly.

"Get over here. Lie down." He went to the other room to get a brush and some ink. He had roughly ten minutes, judging by the rate at which it was spreading, until it was too late. Working as fast as he could, he laid out the chakra patterns on the floor. Kami, he hated this method. The familiar feeling of chakra was welling up inside him. "Evil Sealing method!"

They were on Anko's rooftop now, eating. "What were you doing, anyway? I've never seen it come undone like it just did."

"I know this sounds a little crazy, but I think Orochimaru's personal chakra is in the Curse Seal. His essence... I had another nightmare tonight, and it wasn't like the other ones. I felt his chakra when I woke up, and the next thing I knew the Curse Seal was active. I think he can use this seal to communicate with me."

"Like the ANBU tattoos."

She nodded. "Yeah, maybe. I just have this awful feeling that he's coming back for more than just experiments. I feel like he's coming back for it all. Everything, the village. Everything." She hated that she couldn't be more specific. It just felt like an all-consuming force of evil.

"You're sure this isn't just the nightmare talking?"

"I'm not sure of anything right now, but this one felt different. And even worse, the nightmare was about the Uzumaki child."

"Naruto?" Kakashi's interest piqued.

"Yeah… It's ridiculous, but I dreamt Naruto was trying to kill me. God, I'm just like the others. Without getting to know him, without even trying, I immediately judged him. I mean how can I be this kid's sensei?"

Kakashi nearly choked on his dango. "What?"

"Yeah! Hokage-sama wants me to be his sensei when he graduates the academy. You look like you just choked on a grapefruit. What's wrong, spit it out."

"Several weeks ago, I requested to be Naruto's sensei. Hokage-sama told me that not only was that not possible, but that he wasn't even enrolled in the Academy."

"Yeah, he wasn't. I think he just joined like two weeks ago." Kakashi's solemn face told her that clearly wasn't the point. "But you're still miffed because you want to be his sensei." She sighed. Just great. Not only was she already the worst sensei ever, she was taking a better sensei's opportunity away. "Kakashi… I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Nothing we can do now, though, I suppose." But there was something. The old man owed him for a certain book series he'd managed to get an early copy of, and it was time to collect. Kakashi would just have to remind the Hokage of his debts.

…

"Yo, Sasuke." Shikamaru called out. "Listen, you and I have been pretty cool all these years. I've never had a problem with you, and I hope you haven't had one with me. But keep that shit up with Naruto, and we're going to have a problem."

Sasuke stopped. The Nara? This was rather out of character for him. "It won't happen again. Sorry," he bowed out of the conversation.

"Why'd you do it, anyway?"

This was irksome. Couldn't he just move on? "Had a hunch. I was wrong."

"A _hunch_?"

"Yeah, I thought he was hiding something. I even followed him around for these past two weeks. But nothing. Every day, same routine; wake up, go to school, go home. Like clockwork. Didn't deviate even once. I was wrong. Can I go now?" And he walked off.

Was Sasuke losing his mind? Naruto had been with him and Chouji _everyday_ for the past two weeks… _Like clockwork… Fuck._ He could already sense whatever was going on was going to be troublesome. But if he was going to hang out with someone every day, he needed to know.

…

_The Snake's Tips_

Entry 20

There are three ways shinobi determine the threat level of an opponent. You will learn to master all three by the time your training with me is done. The first is measuring blood lust. We will begin here, with the amygdala. The amygdala is the fear and larger emotional learnings. This will be your greatest tool in determining and identifying other killers. Understanding the power your enemies hold, their true intentions, and controlling your own fight or flight responses underneath. You must be able to, within a single glance, adequately determine if the target is a threat.

Entry 39

It is time to begin dissecting the bodies to start the chakra extraction. Disposing of extracted bodies will need to be done with particular care, as the chakra signatures are traceable, and no doubt Konoha will use it to find you. In this scroll, I will detail the jutsu extraction procedure. In time, you will find your own way of disposing of bodies – your own signature. Of course, the most important criterion, regardless of method, is adequately disposing of all DNA trace.

Entry 5

Have you ever wondered where your blood thirst stems from? Your condition, your need. Something not even the Sandaime, for all his pretend love, has told you. I know about your condition. Your need to kill. It stems from your early childhood trauma – when you were four, you woke up in a pool of Uchiha blood – blood that they had been forcing you to drink for months. Miraculously, you didn't get any diseases from the blood, and your body has now fully adjusted itself to the chakra signatures. It is now fully self-sustaining; you have nearly a hundred percent Uchiha blood. That trophy you took from your last two victims? Keep it safe. Anyone finds out, you're dead. Your identity revealed. Your opportunities to kill relinquished.

Entry 11

Killing a shinobi is radically different than killing a civilian; this will be your first shinobi assassination, and it is time to get intimately familiar with stealth. Disabling your enemies' offensive capabilities _before_ they have a chance to develop them is essential. There is no such thing as a noble fight; battles are ugly, and the more cunning always win. Cheat, lie, betray. A snake does what it must to survive and take down prey. The stronger the prey, the better the meal.

* * *

Several people have noted that Ibiki has yet to make an entrance into the story?

That's true. I wrote the summary after writing the first 10 or so chapters of the story, so I had the luxury of seeing the overall trajectory of the story, and Ibiki was my favorite for the beginning antagonist against Naruto.

See you next time!

P.S. The next one will be exciting, I promise you ;)

Haitorei~


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